This picture has been contributed by Dr. Manmohan Singh, Department of Neurosurgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. This picture was taken in Keoladeo-Ghana National Park at Bharatpur, Rajasthan which is the world famous national park for birds.

This picture depicts the mother's love for her baby and her responsibility in bringing feed for it. Painted storks (Mycteria leucocephala) belong to family, Ciconiidae. These are large birds of the stork family and are distributed widely over India. Painted storks are large birds, measuring 90 to 100 cm and weighing 2 to 3.5 Kg. They have a wing span of 150 to 160 cm. They have long yellow beaks and their head is reddish or orange in color. They have distinct black pectoral bands and the tips are bright pink in color.

Painted storks are seen in freshwater wetlands and occasionally in the coastal areas. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has labelled these storks as near-threatened. These storks feed in groups, wading in shallow waters. They feed on small fishes, frogs and reptiles. Their breeding season extends from July to October in North India and November to March in South India. They breed in colonies on the babool tree tops. The female bird lays two to five eggs. Chicks are fed on regurgitated fish, as seen in this picture. Though the population of painted storks is stable in India, it is threatened in other countries due to poaching. The picture was taken with a Canon 5D mark III and Canon 100-400L lens. Exif data is 400mm, iso-320, f/7.1 and 1/640 sec.